A Marriage of Convenience
by Violet Beatrice Baudelaire
Summary: ...At the time, Reyna had thought she would be marrying Lord Aderson, a vicious drunken brute who was older than her own father but fortunately it had not come to pass. To seal his new alliance with Lord Walder Frey, Lord Tywin Lannister had chosen her from amongst all her countless aunts and cousins to be married to his youngest son, Tyrion.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **A/N: I don't know when or if I will continue, but I just wanted to contribute a little bit of fanfiction with Tyrion as the love interest, he doesn't have many stories with OC's, and only a few with Shae and Sansa. I just feel like there should be more romantic fanfiction with Tyrion, as he is so amazing.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Just a fan of the TV show and the books, George owns all.**

Lady Reyna Frey paced around the ornate bedchamber slowly, barefoot and in a long white nightgown which swamped her petite frame and highlighted her depressingly obvious lack of curves. The soft swell of her bosom was well formed, thankfully enough, but still smaller than she would have liked. She had sharp, narrow hipbones and she was a little underweight for her age and height. One of her countless aunts, Lady Walda Frey, had a love affair with food that had caused her to have a voluptuous figure. Reyna's father was determined that his daughters would not ever be like his sister Walda, so he had kept them on a very strict diet designed to keep them slender. Reyna had released her long, dark brown tresses from the elaborate hairstyle it had been pinned into for her wedding to Lord Tyrion Lannister so that it now loosely framed her pale, heart shaped face. She was relieved to have her hair down, because it covered her ears which stuck out slightly. Reyna had always been sensitive about her ears, although her father had constantly and cruelly reminded her that she would be no beauty even if her ears had not stuck out a little. She knew he was right, although it hurt her to admit it to herself. She had plain features, the nicest of which were her blue eyes. It was not that she thought herself ugly, but she knew she was not beautiful either. She was just somewhere in the middle.

Her mother had died when she was still a baby, weak after the birth of Reyna and the added strain of an infection too much for her to handle. Reyna's father had quickly remarried, and his new wife had given him the son he always wanted, along with daughters that as they grew inherited their mother's beauty. Reyna's father had little patience for his daughters, but he was very spiteful to Reyna in particular. Nothing she ever said or did was good enough for him. He viewed women much the way her despicable grandfather did - just mere toys for amusement and to provide heirs. She would have had a miserable childhood had it not been for Septa Forwyth. She was stern, but also caring. It had been the Septa who had done her best to prepare Reyna for married life. At the time, Reyna had thought she would be marrying Lord Aderson, a vicious drunken brute who was older than her own father but fortunately it had not come to pass. To seal his new alliance with Lord Walder Frey, Lord Tywin Lannister had chosen her from amongst all her countless aunts and cousins to be married to his youngest son, Tyrion. Reyna had disliked Lord Tywin instantly upon meeting him, and she could tell he looked down on her and the entire Frey clan. She had been pitied _and_ had been the subject of envy amongst her other female relations. The ones who pitied her were horrified she was marrying a dwarf – widely known as the Imp or the Half Man. A man older than her by almost twenty summers, who had a terrible facial scar, was a drunk at times and lay with whores frequently. The jealous ones were envious of the fact Reyna would be living in King's Landing and some even admitted that Tyrion, despite his short stature and facial scar, was not entirely unattractive – after all, he still was a green eyed, fair haired Lannister.

Reyna had heard many rumours after her future husband to be, but she did not allow them to prejudice her perceptions of him. She wanted to go into their marriage with an open mind and an open heart. Also, she was thrilled that she would no longer be forced to marry Lord Adderley. Reyna had just passed her sixteenth name day when she had arrived in King's Landing. The preparations for her wedding to Tyrion were already underway, and she barely had an hour alone with him before the wedding ceremony took place. He was just a foot or so shorter than her, and Reyna thought he had an interesting, likeable face. The scar just made Reyna curious about how he had come to receive it in battle. She did not think the scar marred his looks, rather that it added another dimension to his features. He was polite to her, but in a detached manner. He, like her, had clearly had no choice about their wedding. He had seemed reluctant to speak the vow that would bind them together for life. It hurt Reyna, but she could not judge him for it. He was marrying a stranger he barely knew on his father's orders. Perhaps she was a disappointment to him – her personality, her looks – even the mere fact she was a Frey. She hoped that once he got to know her, he would be able to open up to her. That she would be able to break down the walls he had built around himself. His family were horrid, and they treated Tyrion like dirt. Reyna hated them all, especially the Boy King Joffrey - though she had only been living with them for a few days. Her own father was a nasty person, but compared to them he was almost an angel. The only halfway decent one in the family was Ser Jaime Lannister, Tyrion's older brother. He at least shared camaraderie with Tyrion.

Their wedding feast had been a disaster from start to finish. Reyna had only drunk a little honeyed mead, but Tyrion had kept knocking back drinks like they were water. It had emboldened him to the point of verbally sparring with his father, who had no compunction about tearing his son's self-esteem down with cruel words. Tyrion had stormed away from the feast. Reyna had wanted to go and follow him, but her new sister-in-law Cersei had stopped her with a restraining hand on her arm and one ice cold look. When Reyna had finally been able to leave, she had gone straight to her new bedchamber and was disappointed to find Tyrion was not there. She knew she should not think about it, but she could not help wondering where her husband was. She hoped he was alright. Images came to her mind of him wandering into the less savoury parts of King's Landing to visit a brothel. She prayed to the Mother that he would not cheat on her. At least not so soon in their marriage. Reyna was well aware of how unfaithful men could be, even at her young age. Her own father had often lain with women outside of his marriages, mainly tavern wenches. Reyna had summoned a handmaiden to draw her bath, then after her bath had changed into the unflattering white nightgown. Now she stood pacing around the bedchamber, unable to sleep though the hour was late and she was weary after the long day.

The door to the bedchamber opened, and in stumbled her new husband, who did not look pleased to see her. "You should be asleep, Lady Reyna." His voice was slightly slurred, but his eyes focused on her intently.

"How can I sleep if you're not here with me? It's our wedding night, my lord." Reyna replied, walking over to him. He smelt strongly of alcohol, but at least there were no heavy perfumed scents as a whore might use. "I was worried about you, where have you been?"

Tyrion laughed, although it seemed bitter. "You were worried about me?" He scoffed. "I'll pretend you mean what you say. As for where I was, I don't think you'd like the answer. I'm tired, and I want to sleep." He brushed past her, making his way over to the bed and using his hands to pull himself onto the top of the bed. "Blow out the candles, if you wish. Or don't, let them burn until morning if you please. I'll bid you good night now."

Reyna knew she had been dismissed, and it stung. This was not how she had expected her wedding night to turn out. She walked over to the bed with a heavy heart, after extinguishing all but one of the candles. Tyrion was sprawled out on one side of the bed, his eyes shut and a hand over his face, already lightly snoring. Reyna tugged off his boots and placed them on the floor before climbing into bed herself. She pulled the covers up over herself and Tyrion, making sure she kept to her side of the bed. Reyna could not resist turning to look at her husband as he slept, gently moving his hand away so she could see his face more clearly. He seemed more peaceful, all the stress and tension not present in his relaxed state of sleep. However, it took a while for Reyna to get to sleep herself. She awoke the next day to find Tyrion already gone. After her handmaiden had helped her to freshen up and dress for the day ahead, she sat by her dressing table alone. Soon she felt hot tears starting to come. She bit her lip as she kept her eyes tightly shut, trying not to let the tears fall. Crying was for hungry babies and the weak minded, as her father had drummed into her since she was a little girl. Yet still she could not help it as the hot tears pooling in her eyes finally escaped. She covered her face with her small hands and openly wept. After all, she was alone in the room and her father was not there anymore.

When she heard the sound of the door being opened, she hurriedly wiped away her tears and pasted a smile onto her face, expecting to see her handmaiden again. However it was Tyrion who had entered their bedchamber, and her smile wavered as she stood up from the bed to greet him. "Good morning, my lord. If you'll excuse me, I would like to take a walk in the gardens."

"No, I won't excuse you. The cook has made us a special breakfast in honour of our status as...newlyweds." Tyrion crossed his arms, his expression an odd mixture of irritation and concern as he gazed at his young bride. "You don't wish to waste good food, do you? Not when there are so many poor sods outside the castle who would love to eat sumptuously like we are able to."

"As you wish, my lord." Reyna replied quietly, averting her eyes so she did not have to see how annoyed she made him. To her surprise he walked closer to her and took hold of her hand. She glanced at him then in surprise. She hoped it meant something, that he was starting to thaw his cold front towards her but she soon realized it was just for appearance's sake as he stared resolutely forward with a solemn expression forming on his face as he led them out of their bedchamber and down one long stone paved corridor and the next until he reached their destination where he quickly dropped her hand.

In a small ornately furnished room, there was a table laid with a magnificent breakfast spread. Tyrion sighed heavily as he pulled out one of the chairs. "Sit down, Lady Reyna. I hope you don't mind if I choose to dispense with the formalities of titles and simply call you Reyna as you are now, after all, my wife." He smiled at her briefly, the smile failing to reach his eyes before he sat down at the table too. He grabbed hold of a thick slice of freshly baked bread smeared with honey and started eating with relish.

"Of course I don't mind, my lord." Reyna replied, taking a knife and fork to cut up a hardboiled egg sprinkled with herbs, salt and spices. She ate it slowly, not having much of an appetite. "Call me whatever you wish."

"I called my lover sweetling, you know. She's beautiful, with a fiery spirit and a kind heart..." Tyrion tore apart strips of back bacon and ate them with an almost vicious manner. "Well, she's gone now. My father saw to that with this mockery of a marriage."

Reyna felt like Tyrion was taking a dagger and slowly driving it through her heart. To know there was a beautiful woman he loved, unlike her, the plain girl bride he hated, hurt her deeply. And amongst the hurt were tendrils of anger, which led her to snap at him. "Well, I didn't choose to marry you either. Do you think I really wanted to marry a monster?!" Reyna exclaimed then she went pale all of a sudden as the gravity of her words sunk in. "No, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant to say, my lord. I only meant... your attitude towards me. You've been unkind..."

"So now the truth comes out." Tyrion shook his head, pushing his empty plate away and pouring himself a chalice filled with claret wine from a pitcher. "I'm just surprised it took this long for you to admit how you really felt about being married to me."

Reyna stood up from the table and walked around it to stand by Tyrion, stopping him from drinking his wine with a hand on his arm. "No, I was just upset. If you just gave me a chance, my lord, you would see that I like you very much. That I care about you, even though you've loathed me from the moment you met me."

"You're a liar." Tyrion hissed, his eyes lighting up with anger as he jerked his arm free of her hold, causing the wine to spill on both him and the table. "Get out of my sight before I do something I'll regret," He spat, turning his back to her and pouring more wine into his chalice, downing it in one go.

Reyna rushed out of the room, so intent on making her way to the gardens that she forgot all about her sense of modesty and decorum. She ran to the gardens with the skirt of her dress gathered up in her hands to raise the hemline from the floor so she would not trip. Once in the gardens, she slowed her pace and caught her breath. It was a lovely day, the sun shining and the air fragrant with the scent of blooming flowers. It seemed like winter would never come, but she felt as miserable as if summer had passed by already. She was so lost in thoughts of Tyrion as she wandered down a paved path with a pink flower in her hand that she failed to notice King Joffrey walking towards her until it was too late. He was flanked by Ser Meryn and the Hound, two members of the Kings guard. When she did notice she immediately averted her eyes and turned in the other direction, not able to bear the idea of having to talk to Joffrey.

Joffrey had a cruel smirk on his pointed face as he regarded his uncle's new bride hurrying away from him. "Quickly, trap her. She's trying to leave without greeting me, which is very rude. I suppose I'll have to punish her..."

 **Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 **A/N: Thank you to all the readers, especially the ones who left the positive comments which gave me the push to continue writing this story! I did not expect such a good response :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: Just a fan, own nothing.**

Reyna had not been able to get far when she was accosted by Ser Meryn and the Hound. They both held onto her so she could not move, only releasing their hold once Joffrey had walked over to stand in front of her, and smirked at her. "Did you not see me?"

"No, I...-"

"You're a liar!" Joffrey exclaimed angrily, rudely interrupting her, a red flush starting to rise on his pale complexion. "An ugly little liar." He spat at Reyna's feet. "There, that's what I think of _you_. I can't believe you were the best of a bad lot. Surely there must be some Frey ladies who do not look as homely as you? Was your mother a whore? Did she look as ugly as you do? I can't even stand the thought of bedding you. Which I would have done, had you been pretty."

Reyna was hurt by the things he had said, but her mild temper was raised to a boiling point when he insulted her mother. She reached out a hand to strike him, but the Hound grabbed hold of her arm just in time. When Reyna realized how much she had forgotten her position she was afraid but she did not regret trying to hit him. She loved her mother deeply, even if all she had were stories of her mother's memory.

"You dare to raise a hand to your King?" Joffrey practically hissed, seething with anger. "You stupid little brat, I should have you whipped for this."

"Think about the Imp's reaction, your Grace," The Hound warned. "Your mother, too. She wouldn't approve."

"Don't tell me what to do, dog," Joffrey snapped, then he sighed in irritation. "Fine, I won't have her whipped but she still must be punished. Ser Meryn..."

Ser Meryn moved towards Reyna, with a sadistic smile appearing on his face. "As your Grace commands..." He lashed out suddenly, striking Reyna across her face with the back of his hand. She would have fallen but the Hound caught hold of her, keeping her steady on her feet. Pain blossomed on the right side of her face, a pain that made her eyes water with unshed tears that slowly spilled over.

"Have you learnt your lesson now?" Joffrey asked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Well, have you? Apologise to me."

"I'm...sorry, Your Grace." Reyna replied reluctantly, the words tasting like bitter ash in her mouth. To think she had to apologize to such a vile, evil young man, it upset her yet she knew she had to be very careful. Joffrey was dangerous. The Hound had been able to save her once, but if she crossed the line again who knew what would happen? She wanted to be there for Tyrion even though he clearly had no need for her.

Joffrey stretched his arm out, his pale hand dangling limply in front of him, adorned with the heavy Lannister signet ring. "Kiss the Lion, to show your fealty."

Reyna hesitated, but Ser Meryn grabbed hold of her neck and forced her to bend down close to Joffrey's hand. She took a deep breath, staring at his ring. It was humiliating, but at least it was just his ring, and not his boots. She kissed the ring quickly, and then Ser Meryn released his hold on her.

"Good, at least you're not a complete moron. You can follow simple instructions." Joffrey smiled softly, and it was very unsettling in comparison to his cold eyes. "Perhaps I was a little harsh to you, Lady Reyna. I could probably bed you, if I put a sack over your head first." He laughed, as did Ser Meryn while the Hound stayed silent. Joffrey raised his hand to her face, brushing his knuckles over her cheek, where a bruise was starting to form. "If you ever insult me again, I will have your head on a pike." He grabbed hold of her hair, entangling his hands into her long wavy tresses so tightly she felt a painful strain on the roots of her hair. He pressed his mouth against hers even as she struggled to move away from him. Ser Meryn held her in place as Joffrey continued to kiss her forcibly, his teeth spitefully sinking into her lower lip as he bit her so hard her lip split and bled. Then he pulled away from her, licking her blood off his own lips before he leaned in close to whisper to her. "Everyone knows my uncle has not taken your maidenhead yet. I suppose even an ugly monstrosity like my uncle has _some_ standards. He'll fuck whores but he would not sink so low as to bed you."

Reyna's hands were clenched into fists. She was furious with Joffrey, and she also felt humiliated and sad as well as being disturbed by his behaviour. Yet she knew she could do nothing to him. Not if she valued her life. So she just stood there quietly as Joffrey strolled off, in high spirits, closely followed by Ser Meryn.

The Hound lingered with her for a few moments longer. "You'd better stay out of his way, girl. He always wants what he can't have..." He left her with that warning.

"Thank you!" Reyna called after him.

He stopped walking for a moment, and turned back to her with a frown on his face. "Don't thank me, I didn't do it for you," He stated firmly, and then kept on walking away.

Reyna did not believe him, and she smiled although it aggravated her split lip, making it sting again. The Hound was not all bad. Reyna was worried about the Hound's warning. Reyna had heard some chilling tales of Joffrey's viciousness towards people who had wronged him. Yet, she had gotten off lightly after trying to hit him. Even taking into account the Hound's defence of her, it was still strange how Joffrey had so easily agreed not to have her whipped. Joffrey had made it clear he was not attracted to her, yet he had kissed her. It was more of an attack than a kiss, but unfortunately it had been a kiss. Reyna felt guilty, although she had wanted no part of the kiss and it was likely Tyrion would not even care if anyone else kissed her.

Reyna wished she had not even gone wandering around alone. She hurried back into the castle as quickly as she was able to. She saw a young, dark haired man who looked like a squire approaching her. He looked friendly, but Reyna felt a little wary of him as a stranger. She averted her eyes and changed her direction so she was walking away from him.

"Wait, m'lady! I had a message from Lord Tyrion!" He yelled, chasing after her.

She stopped, and slowly turned to face him. "May I ask who you are?"

"Ah, I'm Podrick, m'lady, Lord Tyrion's squire." Podrick answered, with a little bow. He looked at her with curiosity and concern. "M'lady, what happened to your face?"

"Oh, it's...It's nothing. I slipped in the garden. I can be so clumsy," Reyna forced a smile. "It doesn't matter, Podrick. What message does my husband send to me?"

"He wishes to meet you in the stables, m'lady."

"Then I had better go to him at once," Reyna replied, her smile more relaxed now. "Will you guide me to the stables, Podrick?"

"Of course, m'lady," Podrick fell into step besides her, and they both continued to walk in a comfortable silence until they finally were outside of the castle and heading to the stables.

There were a few knights in the courtyard near the stables. Tyrion was standing near the end stalls. He strode forward to meet them, a look of shock on his face that quickly changed into anger. "What happened to you?"

"I slipped and fell in the gardens, my lord."

"You slipped and _fell_. Right. And you thought it was perfectly fine to wander around the castle like this?" Tyrion crossed his arms, giving her a scowl. "Go to our bedchamber and stay there. Do not leave until I give you permission to do so. I'll arrange for meals to be brought to you in the meantime. Podrick will accompany you."

Reyna knew Tyrion did not believe her story about falling. She wished she had seen even a small glimmer of concern or worry in his eyes, but she saw no sign that he cared about what had happened to her. Instead, he seemed to be angry at her. Reyna wanted to ask him if he had planning to go horse riding with her, but she knew there was no point. She did not want to upset him any more than she already had, so she complied with his wishes and made her way back to her bedchamber with Podrick. He departed at the door to the bedchamber and she went inside. As promised, Tyrion had arranged for her meals to be sent to the bedchamber, via her handmaiden. She had also been examined by one of the lesser Maesters in the castle, who had her drink a vile tasting medicine. It was very bitter, even though he had kindly mixed in some honey.

Night had fallen when Tyrion entered their bedchamber. "I apologise for the little incident you had with my nephew. I did not think he would attack you, being that you are not..." Tyrion paused, clearing his throat. "Well, it's of no consequence. What is important now is keeping you safe and out of his reach. I can find a distraction for him to focus on instead."

"Not pretty? Not like Sansa or the woman from the brothel found dead in his bedroom?" Reyna asked quietly. "That's what you wanted to say, was it not?"

"No, that is _not_ what I meant," Tyrion denied what Reyna had told him. "Do not put words in my mouth. I did not feel like my nephew would even notice you. Yes, he has a tendency to gravitate towards beautiful woman but his cruelty is not exclusively aimed towards them, anyone can fall victim to his wrath."

Reyna walked closer to Tyrion and knelt so that she was on his eye level. "Why is it important to keep me safe? You would be happier if I was dead, my lord. And your father need not worry. My grandfather would not care if I died either."

"Don't you _ever_ say something like that again, Reyna!" Tyrion exclaimed angrily, his eyes widening in alarm. "You're young and healthy. If my growth was not stunted I would be happy but you do not appreciate your good fortune."

"I am sorry," Reyna bowed my head. "I should have never said that. However, you do not care for me, my lord. And it really hurts me. What Joffrey did to me, it was nothing compared to how miserable you can make me feel. I will never be good enough for you, will I?"

Tyrion took hold of her hands and sighed. "It's not a question of being good enough. I have been too harsh with you, I see that now. Will you give me a chance to start over? I would like to be your... friend."

Reyna looked up again, staring at him intently. "You want to be my friend?" It sounded too good to be true. First he hated her, now he wanted to be her friend all of a sudden. She could not be sure he was telling the truth. Even if he was just pretending to be nice, at least it would be better than harsh words or worse cold silence between them. The word _friends_ did not settle well with her, however it was better than him seeing her as an enemy. So she smiled, gently squeezing his hands in her own. "Yes, I would love for us to be friends, Tyrion."

Tyrion returned her smile, albeit briefly. "Then, we shall be friends."

 **Thanks for reading :)**


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